Wind operated toy



Dec. 7, 1965 P. P. GUTIERREZ 3,221,440

WIND OPERATED TOY Filed Jan. 14, 1963 INVENTOR.

PETER I? GUTIEAAEZ FIE--l- Sc/9 W ATTOR NE Y5 United States Patent 3,221,440 WIND OPERATED TOY Peter P. Gutierrez, 3161 Fresno St., Santa Clara, Calif. Filed Ian. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 251,075 4 Claims. ((31. 46-58) The present invention relates to improvements in a Wind Operated Toy and more particularly to a wind operated toy simulating an insect or the like.

Wind operated toy devices such as pin wheels are well known and have provided many hours of amusement, particularly to children. Other toys have been constructed in animal form to provide animated figures which are particularly suitable for the amusement of children. With such devices, children can move the article through the air and simulate flight together with various original sound effects and obtain considerable pleasure from the play thereof.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide an animated toy such as an insect constructed for rotational movement thereof by the operation of air currents.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wind operated toy in which rotation is effected regardless of the angle at which the wind strikes the toy.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toy insect containing a body portion and wings attached there to capable of rapid rotation on relative movement with respect to the air in order to simulate flight thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a toy of the character described in which the wings are constructed with a compound reverse curve so that rotation may be effected by wind striking the wings in either an axial direction or a lateral direction.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent as the specification progresses, and the new and useful features of my wind operated toy will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

The preferred forms of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a toy butterfly constructed according to the invention;

FIGURE 2, a perspective view of a double-winged insect constructed according to the invention; and

FIGURE 3, a perspective view of a winged structure illustrating the areodynamics of the toy.

While I have shown only the preferred forms of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims attached hereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a wind operated toy 11 which comprises a butterfly 12 rotatably mounted on the shaft 13 which in turn is attached to an elongated handle 14. In the embodiment as shown, a butterfly is rotatably rnouned by cutting a pair of strips 16 into the body thereof and inserting the shaft between the strips in the main body portion. A thrust bearing 17 is provided to reduce friction and improve the relative rotation of the butterfly around the shaft 13, and a second thrust bearing 18 formed to simulate a head is provided at the end of shaft 13. Bearing 18 also serves to retain the butterfly on the shaft.

In the form shown in FIGURE 1, the butterfly is formed from a flat shape serving to provide a pair of wings 19 on each side of the shaft 13 and has a simulated body section 21 painted thereon. Each wing 19 is constructed with a forward edge 22 being substantially longer than the rear edge 23 so that the side portions thereof 3,221,440 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 are tapered rearwardly. In addition to this rearward taper, the wings are curved at the sides thereof to provide a compound reverse curve. In other words, the curved portions '24 of each wing are curved so that each portion moves in a similar direction as the butterfly rotates. Thus forces exerted on one of the main portions 24 will cause rotation in the same direction as a similar force exerted on the other curved portion 24.

Thus it is seen that the various parts used to mount the toy for rotation are also shaped to simulate parts of an insect.

In order to illustrate the manner in which rotation is effected by the wind, the basic wing structure of the butterfly shown in FIGURE 1 is illustrated in FIGURE 3 in which the wings 19 are substantially flat through the major portion thereof with shaft 13 fitting through the central axis. Thus as wind approaches the wing axially as shown by arrow 26, the curved portions 24 have air impinging thereon. This air provides forces resolving both axially and laterally because of the taper of the curved portions. The axial forces are taken up by the thrust bearing, and the lateral forces cause rotation because the air exerted outward from the central axis at each side provides a couple. This effects rotation as indicated by the arrow 27.

When the wind approaches the wings from a direction substantially normal thereto as shown by arrow 28, the air fans out as shown by arrows 29 and 31. The air indicated by arrow 2% then strikes one of the curved portions 24 to provide rotation in the direction indicated by arrow 27 while air from arrow 31 slides harmlessly off the face of the wing. Thus it is seen that wind approaching from the direction of arrow 26 causes the same rotation as wind approaching from the direction of arrow 28. Accordingly, any wind directions which may be resolved into these two arrows will also provide a positive rotation. In this way, rotation is imparted to the toy by impingernent thereon of wind striking it from any forward or substantially lateral angle.

An alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG- URE 2, in which parts corresponding to those of the embodiment of FIGURE 1 are identified by the same numbers. The toy shown in FIGURE 2 is a doublewinged insect 12a mounted on a shaft 13a carried by handle portion 14a. Thrust bearing 17a and retainer bearing 18a are also provided at each side of the insect 12a. The insect is modeled after a typical double-winged insect and may be painted to simulate various forms. Thus the insect 12a contains a body section 2111 rotatably mounted on shaft 13a and a pair of Wings 1% attached to said body section.

Each pair of wings 19a is similarly constructed and formed in the shape of a propeller in order to provide rotational movement thereto from wind coming from a forwardly direction. In addition, each pair of wings 19a has its tips 24a bent in curved portions to provide a compound reverse curve similar to that provided in the embodiment of FIGURE 1. In this way, rotation is effected on the double-winged insect 12a by winds approaching the shaft 13a in a direction perpendicular thereto.

In operation, the player can hold the toy to head into the wind or sideways thereto and obtain rotary motion of the simulated insect. Alternatively, he may blow air against the wings to provide rotation. A particularly entertaining form of play results from the player forcing the toy through the air forwardly or laterally or in both directions to provide the desired rotation thereto. In this way, a child player may simulate the flight of the insect and provide sufficient rotation thereto that the wings provide a blur similar to that achieved by certain insects in actual flight.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that I have provided a novel toy in the form of an insect or the like which operates during play to provide increased rotation with respect to wind operated toys heretofore available.

I claim:

1. A wind operated toy, comprising a handle, a shaft mounted on said handle, a unit mounted for rotation on said shaft, and wings on said unit responsive to wind currents for rotating the unit, said wings being bent at the ends thereof to form jointly and with said unit a reverse curve resembling an elongated S, said wings also being tapered so that the edge on the handle side is substantially shorter than the edge on the side opposite the handle side.

2.. A wind operated toy insect, comprising a handle, a shaft mounted on said handle, a unit mounted for rotation on said shaft formed to simulate the body of an insect, wings on said unit formed to simulate wings of an insect and to cause rotation of the unit on the shaft, said wings being bent at the ends thereof to form jointly and with said unit a reverse curve resembling an elongated S, said wings also being tapered so that their inner edges are substantially shorter than their outer edges.

3. A wind operated toy insect, comprising a handle, a shaft mounted on said handle, a unit mounted for rotation on said shaft formed to simulate the body of an insect, a pair of Wings on said unit formed to simulate wings of an insect and to cause rotation of the unit on the shaft, said wings having surfaces which jointly and with said unit form a body substantially in the shape of a propeller with the ends thereof bent in the form of a reverse curve resembling an elongated S.

4. A wind operated toy, comprising a handle, a shaft mounted on said handle, a unit mounted for rotation on said shaft, and Wings on opposite sides of said unit responsive to wind currents for rotating the unit; said wings having a substantially flat body, a forward edge, a rear edge, and a side port-ion curved to provide with the unit and the other Wing, a compound reverse curve resembling an elongated S, the forward edge and the rearward edge being of substantially different lengths so that the side portions are sufficiently convergent to provide rotation to the Wings when impinged upon by axially moving air currents.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1887 Francis 46-58 5/1957 Boyd 46-58 X 

1. A WIND OPERATED TOY, COMPRISING A HANDLE, A SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, A UNIT MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON SAID SHAFT, AND WINGS ON UNIT RESPONSIVE TO WIND CURRENTS FOR ROTATING THE UNIT, SAID WINGS BEING BENT AT THE ENDS THEREOF TO FORM JOINTLY AND WITH SAID UNIT A REVERSE CURVE ASSEMBLING AN ELONGATED S, SAID WINGS ALSO BEING 